Tale of Tales

This movie was over rated like what ? it doesn't make any sense, no lesson to learn, Especially when the beauty of the old woman faded what else ? what about when the sister was shaped to become young, what was the aftermath? Even when the queen died, nobody noticed

Entwined, enthralling and ancient tales of finding your heart, losing it or both; a libertine king lured by a sweet voice, a princess whose welfare is discarded in favor of her father's gruesome pet, a queen obsessed with having a child, a washing wench who becomes rich and forgets her former friend and more. Each tale revolves around the double edged sword of excess; taking or alternately sacrificing too much. Each character struggles with finding balance in their lives. The tales, based on the Pentamerone stories by Giambattista Basile, are captivating, elaborate, whimsical and refreshingly original and unfamiliar. It was thrilling not to know how each story ended and to follow their surprising twists and turns. The film is totally different in many respects. It combines fantasy, horror, romance, allegory and comedy to good effect. It is Italian but the actors speak English. There are miraculous transformations, monsters, ogres, prophesies, acrobats and physical mazes as well as those of the mind. Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones and John C. Reilly are really wonderful and delightful in their unusual roles. There is such depth to these ancient and magical tales that even the most obnoxious theater goers, those answering their cell phones or unwrapping fifty cellophane encased candies at regular intervals, become unnoticeable. What gets more magical than that?! Tale of Tales first appeared in Cannes. Seen at the 2016 Miami International Film Festival.

It's a fantastic audio-visual journey that takes you into a world of medieval fantasies full of all the classical elements but with fresh stories and views. If you enjoy the work of Paolo Sorrentino (2013 Oscar for "La grande bellezza") you will love this film for it's masterful craft of building a world within. Only Salma Hayek delivers a disappointing performance: Stiff and uninspired. Pictures, music as well as sound design and costumes (not to mention the practical effects) are all stunning! Italy (with the help of France and the UK) delivers once again a masterpiece on the very tight budget of only 12 million €uros while the rest of European cinema is sleeping.